Chapter Text
Eating was a pain in the ass.
At least, that’s what Nagi thought every time someone reminded him to finish a meal.
He never understood why people made such a big deal out of it. Eating took time. It interrupted whatever he was doing, whether that was gaming, napping, or simply enjoying the rare moment of doing absolutely nothing.
Most of the time, food just wasn’t worth the effort.
So, he skipped meals.
Not intentionally, at least not at first. Sometimes he’d wake up too late to grab breakfast before school. Other times he’d get distracted during lunch and realize the break was already over. Eventually, it became a habit. Missing a meal here and there didn’t seem important enough to worry about.
Unfortunately, his body didn’t seem to share that opinion.
The first thing Reo noticed wasn’t Nagi’s eating habits. It was the little changes that came with them.
Nagi looked tired.
Not the usual kind of tired either. He was always sleepy, always searching for somewhere to rest his head whenever classes became boring. This was different. There were faint shadows beneath his eyes that seemed darker than before, and during football practice he looked less energetic than usual. Nothing dramatic enough for anyone else to point out, but enough for Reo to notice.
Then again, Reo noticed everything when it came to Nagi.
Which was exactly why Nagi wasn’t surprised when Reo suddenly grabbed his wrist as they left lunch break and dragged him down the hallway toward the quieter side of the school grounds.
“Nagi.”
“Hm?” Nagi didn’t bother looking up from his phone.
“Have you been eating properly?” That got his attention.
He blinked once before lifting his head. Out of all the questions he expected from Reo, that definitely wasn’t one of them.
“What kind of question is that?”
“The kind where I want an answer.”
Nagi considered it seriously. “…Probably?”
Reo stopped so abruptly that Nagi nearly walked into him.
“‘Probably?”
“Yeah.”
“Nagi, that’s not an answer.”
The white-haired boy frowned slightly. Reo watched him think, already knowing exactly what was happening.
Nagi was trying to remember.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I had jelly this morning.”
Reo stared. “This morning?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
Nagi looked genuinely confused.
“And what?”
“Nagi, that was seven hours ago.”
Nagi shrugged.
Thinking about meals was annoying. Remembering meals was annoying. Stopping whatever he was doing just to eat was annoying too. Most days he genuinely forgot. Other days he remembered and simply couldn’t be bothered.
Judging by the way Reo pinched the bridge of his nose, that answer wasn’t helping his case.
“You know your body actually needs food, right?”
“I know.”
“Then act like it.”
Nagi poked his own cheek thoughtfully. “Sounds like a hassle.”
“Nagi.” The warning in Reo’s voice immediately made him glance up.
For the first time since the conversation started, Reo wasn’t looking annoyed.
He looked worried.
Actually worried.
That was enough to make Nagi pause.
“You’re making a big deal out of it,” he muttered.
“Because it is a big deal.”
“It isn’t.”
“It is when you’re clearly not taking care of yourself.”
Nagi looked away.
Of course Reo had noticed.
Reo noticed everything. The games he downloaded, the assignments he forgot, the classes he slept through, and every little habit Nagi picked up without realizing it.
Something like this never would’ve escaped him.
“You’ve looked exhausted lately,” Reo continued, his voice quieter now. “You’ve barely touched your lunch all week, and you don’t have the same energy during practice.”
“I dunno.”
“You do.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Students walked past in small groups, filling the air with distant conversation and laughter. Somewhere nearby, a teacher called for students to get back to class. The noise made the silence between them feel strangely private.
Reo sighed.
“Is it because you’re forgetting to eat again?”
“…Maybe.”
“Nagi.”
“What?”
“You can’t keep doing that.” The frustration slipped into Reo’s voice before he could stop it.
Nagi flinched almost imperceptibly. It was small, but Reo caught it immediately.
His expression softened.
“I’m not trying to lecture you.”
“Feels like it.”
“Because you make it impossible not to.”
Nagi huffed, slipping his phone into his pocket.
Reo stepped closer.
“Look, I’m not asking you to suddenly become some health freak. I’m not asking you to count calories or make meal plans. I just want you to eat enough to stay healthy.”
“Sounds awful.”
“I know.”
“Good.”
Despite himself, Reo let out a laugh.
“But you still need to do it.”
Nagi didn’t answer right away.
The truth was that food had felt even more bothersome lately. Sometimes he’d lose interest halfway through a meal. Sometimes he’d skip breakfast because sleeping an extra twenty minutes sounded better. Sometimes the idea of eating at all just felt exhausting. He’d never really thought about it.
Apparently Reo had.
“…I’ll try.”
Reo narrowed his eyes.
“Actually try?”
“Maybe.”
“Nagi.”
“Okay, okay.”
Reo still looked unconvinced, but after a moment he let out a long sigh. “Fine. Then I’m checking on you tomorrow.”
“Huh?”
“And the day after that.”
“That’s excessive.”
“You literally forgot whether you ate lunch.”
“…Fair.”
“Exactly.”
Nagi groaned and tipped his head back dramatically. “This is such a hassle.”
Reo rolled his eyes, though a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Too bad.”
For once, Nagi didn’t argue.
—
In Nagi’s room, he couldn’t help but think about what Reo had said to him. ”I just want you to eat enough to stay healthy.”
He knew his habit of skipping meals was bad, but he hadn’t expected it to start showing on his body.
He plopped himself onto his bed, rolled onto his stomach, opening a game on his phone. He shouldn’t think much of it really, he looks and feels healthy enough. Though, he did have to admit that he hadn’t been consuming enough food lately. Definitely not enough for someone his age, and probably not enough for someone who spent hours at football practice every week.
His fingers tapped absentmindedly against the screen.
When had he last eaten an actual meal?
Nagi frowned.
…Yesterday?
No, that didn’t sound right.
Maybe this morning?
Actually, no. That had just been a cup of jelly he’d grabbed before heading out.
He stared at the screen for a moment before letting out a quiet groan and burying his face into his pillow.
Thinking about food was annoying.
Reo was annoying.
The fact that Reo was probably right was even more annoying.
His stomach gave an unpleasant twist.
Nagi paused.
Slowly, he lifted his head from the pillow.
It wasn’t exactly pain. More like a strange discomfort sitting heavily in his stomach. The kind he’d been getting more often lately whenever he went too long without eating.
He ignored it.
A few minutes later, it happened again. This time, accompanied by a faint wave of nausea.
…What a pain.
Maybe he should eat something.
The thought alone made him want to go back to sleep.
Still, Reo’s words continued to echo in the back of his mind.
You can’t keep doing that.
Nagi clicked his tongue and tossed his phone aside. If he didn’t eat something, Reo would probably spend the entire day nagging him tomorrow.
Actually, knowing Reo, he’d probably start bringing food himself.
The image alone was enough to make Nagi sigh dramatically as he pushed himself off the bed.
Fine, he’d eat something, just enough to get Reo off his back.
—
The kitchen was quiet.
Nagi stood in front of the fridge, staring at its contents with the same amount of enthusiasm he usually reserved for homework.
There was bread, yogurt, leftovers from yesterday, a few drinks, mostly things Reo had bought for the both of them whenever he’d visit Nagi.
None of it looked particularly appealing.
He was already considering turning around and going back to bed when Reo’s voice echoed through his head again.
”I just want you to eat enough to stay healthy.”
What a nag.
With a sigh, Nagi grabbed a yogurt cup and a bottle of water before retreating back to his room. It wasn’t much, but it was food. That counted for something.
Settling back onto his bed, he peeled the lid off the yogurt and scooped up a spoonful. The first bite was fine, the second was less enjoyable.
By the third, the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach had returned.
Nagi paused.
Maybe he’d eaten too fast. Not that there was much to eat in the first place. He took another bite anyway.
Almost immediately, his stomach churned.
His hand froze halfway to his mouth.
…Huh.
That was new.
The nausea wasn’t strong enough to be concerning yet, but it was definitely there. A lingering, unpleasant sensation that sat heavily in the pit of his stomach.
He stared at the yogurt.
Then at the spoon.
Then at the yogurt again.
Suddenly, he wasn’t hungry anymore. Actually, the thought of taking another bite made him feel worse.
Nagi grimaced and set the container aside. Maybe he’d just wait a little.
Five minutes turned into ten.
Ten turned into twenty.
The nausea never fully disappeared, it just lingered.
By the time he glanced at the clock, it was already getting late.
His yogurt remained untouched on the desk, his water bottle sat unopened beside it.
Nagi rolled onto his back and threw an arm over his eyes.
This was annoying.
Everything about today was annoying.
Reo’s lecture was annoying.
The weird feeling in his stomach was annoying.
The fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about either of those things was somehow even more annoying.
Eventually, exhaustion won.
Without bothering to change clothes or turn off the light, Nagi let his eyes fall shut. The discomfort was still there.
“I’ll just sleep it off, no big deal.” He mutters to himself, with hopes that sleeping would somehow remove the discomfort he was feeling.
—
He was wrong, he couldn’t sleep at all. Sure, he was in fact, exhausted, but he could barely even sleep due to the constant feeling of discomfort in his body moving up and down.
He tries to ignore it, but the longer he tries not to think about it, it only hurts more. After a few minutes of rolling around on his bed, trying to get into a more comfortable position to sleep in, he sits on his bed and ends up picking his phone from the nightstand, texting Reo. ‘Maybe he knows what’s wrong.’ He thinks.
Nagi : Hey
Nagi : Are u up?
Nagi : My stomach feels weird
Not receiving a reply from the other end, he sighs. Well, it is already late at night, so he shouldn’t really expect Reo to answer him at this hour.
Placing his phone back onto the nightstand, he ruffles his own hair, wondering on what he should do to cure whatever pain he’s going through in his body.
He tries standing up, almost succeeding, until the weird feeling in his stomach suddenly starts to come up.
Nagi froze.
The sensation hit him so suddenly that he had to grab the edge of his desk to steady himself.
For a few seconds, he just stood there, staring blankly at the floor.
The uncomfortable feeling he’d been dealing with all evening had shifted into something much worse. His stomach twisted. A cold sweat prickled across the back of his neck.
“What the hell..?” His voice sounded weaker than he intended.
He swallowed hard, hoping the feeling would pass if he stayed still long enough.
It didn’t.
If anything, it only got worse.
Nagi squeezed his eyes shut.
This was ridiculous.
He’d dealt with headaches before. Fevers too. But this strange nauseous feeling was something else entirely. It made it impossible to think about anything else. Another wave rolled through him.
Nagi immediately abandoned the idea of trying to sleep. No way.
There was absolutely no way he was lying back down like this.
Moving carefully, he made his way out of his room and toward the bathroom. The walk wasn’t far, but it felt longer than usual. By the time he reached the sink, he was gripping the counter tightly. The fluorescent light above him felt too bright.
His stomach churned again.
For a moment, he considered texting Reo a second time, maybe something more specific.
Maybe “I think something’s actually wrong.”
But the thought of typing felt like too much effort. Plus, it’s not like he’d want to annoy Reo by texting him again.
Instead, he pulled out his phone and checked the screen.
Still nothing.
No reply.
A small part of him felt disappointed.
Not that he’d ever admit it.
Reo was probably asleep.
Normal people slept at this hour.
He let out a slow breath and leaned against the sink. Maybe if he waited it out, the feeling would go away.
Thirty seconds had passed.
It didn’t.
His stomach gave another violent twist. Nagi’s eyes widened slightly.
“Oh.”
That couldn’t be good.
Nagi swallowed hard.
Maybe this wasn’t just because he’d skipped a few meals.
The thought made him frown.
Up until now, he’d been treating the whole thing like an inconvenience. Something annoying that would eventually go away on its own.
For a moment, Nagi thought he felt a little better.
Not good, exactly. The nausea was still there, lingering in the background, but it wasn’t nearly as intense as before. Maybe waiting it out had actually worked.
He straightened up from the sink and took a cautious breath.
Okay, Maybe he could finally go to sleep.
The walk back to his room felt easier than before. His legs still felt a little weak, but the awful twisting sensation in his stomach had mostly settled down, leaving behind only a faint discomfort that he could tolerate.
Maybe Reo had been right about him needing to eat more. Maybe this was just his body getting back at him after weeks of skipped meals and half-finished lunches. If that was the case, then he’d just sleep it off and deal with Reo’s inevitable lecture tomorrow.
What a hassle.
By the time he reached his bedroom door, he was already thinking about collapsing back onto his bed. He stepped into the room and took a few steps forward.
The nausea hit him instantly.
It was so sudden that his entire body froze.
One moment he was fine. The next, his stomach lurched violently enough to steal the breath from his lungs. A cold sweat broke out across the back of his neck as a sharp wave of nausea surged upward without warning.
Nagi’s eyes widened.
“Oh, shit.”
The words barely left his mouth before instinct took over.
Any thought of sleep immediately disappeared. He spun on his heel and stumbled back toward the bathroom, one hand pressed firmly against his stomach as another wave rolled through him. His heart pounded in his chest. Something was definitely wrong.
He spun around and rushed back down the hallway, barely making it to the bathroom before another wave hit.
A few miserable minutes later, Nagi found himself kneeling on the bathroom floor, breathing heavily.
The yogurt he’d forced himself to eat earlier hadn’t stayed down.
Neither had much of the jelly and water he’d been drinking throughout the day.
The realization made his stomach sink.
This wasn’t normal.
This definitely wasn’t normal.
Nagi rested his forehead against the cool edge of the bathtub, trying to steady his breathing.
His entire body felt shaky, felt weak. Like all his energy had been drained away at once.
The worst part was that the nausea hadn’t completely disappeared.
It had eased, sure, but the uncomfortable feeling was still there, sitting heavily in his stomach.
“…Ah.” His voice came out hoarse.
He felt awful.
Not in the way he usually did after staying up too late or spending an entire afternoon lazing around. This was different. His stomach still churned unpleasantly, and the weakness that had settled into his body made even sitting upright feel like more effort than it should have.
For the first time that night, Nagi found himself genuinely worried.
He wasn’t good at dealing with things like this. Normally, if something bothered him, he’d sleep it off and feel fine by morning. That solution had worked for pretty much everything so far.
Unfortunately, sleeping didn’t seem to be an option anymore.
Nagi rested his head against the side of the bathtub and let out a shaky breath. He had no idea what medicine he was supposed to take, or if he was even supposed to take any at all. He didn’t know whether eating something would help or make things worse. Hell, he didn’t even know what was wrong with him in the first place.
His body felt strangely disconnected, as if it had stopped cooperating with him altogether.
After a minute, he planted a hand against the floor and tried to stand. Almost immediately, dizziness washed over him. The room tilted slightly, forcing him to catch himself against the wall before he could lose his balance completely.
“…Seriously?” The muttered complaint lacked its usual annoyance.
Giving up, Nagi slowly slid back down to the floor.
The cold bathroom tiles weren’t exactly comfortable, but at least they felt steady beneath him. Right now, that was good enough.
He pulled out his phone again and stared at the screen.
Still no reply.
A small wave of disappointment settled in his chest.
The sight shouldn’t have bothered him as much as it did.
The longer he sat there, the harder it became to focus on anything. At first, he tried to keep track of his thoughts, telling himself that he should probably get up, get some water, maybe even text Reo again. None of those ideas lasted very long. They came and went almost immediately, slipping from his grasp before he could act on them. His head felt strangely light, yet unbearably heavy at the same time, and every movement seemed to require twice the effort it normally would.
The bathroom was silent except for the faint buzzing of the fluorescent light overhead. Normally, Nagi would’ve found it irritating. Now, it seemed distant somehow, as though it were coming from another room entirely. He stared down at the phone in his hand, waiting for the screen to light up with a reply that never came. After a while, even that became too much effort. His grip loosened, and the phone slipped from his fingers onto the floor beside him with a quiet clack.
Nagi barely reacted.
A wave of dizziness washed over him when he lifted his head, forcing him to shut his eyes again. The nausea had eased after getting sick, but it hadn’t disappeared. It lingered stubbornly in the background, leaving him feeling drained and unsteady. His stomach still felt wrong, his throat burned unpleasantly, and every part of his body seemed to be begging him to stop moving altogether.
Maybe he should’ve listened to Reo.
The thought drifted through his mind unexpectedly. Reo had been nagging him for weeks about eating properly, and Nagi had brushed him off every single time. Now he was sitting on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night, feeling worse than he could remember feeling in a long time. Reo was going to be insufferable when he found out about this.
That thought should’ve annoyed him.
Instead, it was oddly comforting.
Nagi let his head rest against the wall behind him and exhaled slowly. His eyelids felt heavy, and no matter how many times he forced them open, they kept slipping shut again. The exhaustion he’d been fighting all night was finally catching up to him, dragging him down inch by inch until even staying awake felt impossible.
He told himself he’d rest for a minute. Just one minute, then he’d get up and go back to bed.
The minute never came.
His thoughts became slower and more scattered, fading in and out until they were little more than fragments. The buzzing light overhead blurred into background noise. The discomfort in his stomach seemed farther away now. Everything felt distant. Warm. Heavy.
Before he realized it, his body had gone completely slack against the wall.
And then, without even noticing when it happened, Nagi drifted into unconsciousness.
Time passed quietly around him, the bathroom remaining unchanged save for the soft hum of the fluorescent light overhead. At some point during the night, a faint ringing sound broke through the silence. It started somewhere nearby, distant and muffled, almost blending into the background noise. The sound continued insistently, vibrating against the tile floor where his phone had fallen earlier.
Had he been awake, Nagi would’ve recognized it immediately. Instead, he remained slumped against the wall, completely unaware as the ringing echoed through the empty bathroom. The sound persisted for several moments before eventually fading away, leaving the room silent once more. Nagi never stirred.